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    Canal Park DC

    4.1 (37 reviews)

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    John B.

    Canal Park is a little segment inland next to the Metro (the park next to the riverside is separate). It has some nice things going on; a lot of greenery and water collection infrastructure, a centrally placed restaurant, and its well-known fountain with glowy lights. It's a fun place to stop. There are a couple of restrooms inside the same building as the restaurants; I can't recall ever finding water fountains outside. The structures seem to promise more events than I've ever actually seen here, and it always feels like this is just a quick stop on the way to the river, but I like that something in this increasingly built up neighborhood has been developed for public use.

    Austin G.

    Canal Park attracts a certain crowd- families. It's a small park centrally located in Navy Yard. Here's why it's perfect for families: 1) Splash park: Enough said. 2) Pizza restaurant in the park. 3) Ice skating rink: In the winter, the space around the pizza restaurant turns into a ice rink where you can rent ice skates and enjoy DC's winter. 4) Green space: Plenty of green space, benches, and flowers. 5) Water: There are fun fountains. 6) Concerts/events: There's a small stage in the center of the park where concerts will perform on weekends. During the day, there's programming from work outs to yoga. If you need a place for your children to run free, come to Canal Park.

    A map of the three acre park.
    Courtney K.

    Bottom Line: A small urban green space that gives a nod to the canal that used to be nearby. Canal Park is probably best known for its winter ice skating rink but I like it because its one of a few reminders that there used to be canals in DC. I also like that the park gives a nod to the district's canals through two water features - the ice rink and a kid friendly summer fountain. The park is small at three acres but is a nice urban green space nevertheless. About those canals . . . Before the iron horse was invented goods were transported via ship so L'Enfant planned for canals in the federal city. George Washington gave the idea a thumbs up and eventually the canal was built and put into service. Over time lots of silt collected in the Washington City Canal and it became too shallow to be navigable. Plus, it was basically an open sewer and it was made obsolete by the railway. Eventually the canals were filled in and lost, mostly, to history.

    Kimi S.

    With Canal Park, nature becomes your office! All of their benches are equipped with outlets so you can charge and recharge your phone, laptop, fax machine, printer, scanner, and whatever technology you need at the park! The plug-in feature may not be of interest to most people but as someone who works from home, I thought it was pretty amazing. The park is LEED certified and has geothermal heating/cooling and a water collection and reuse system that is used for the site's fountain features. In the winter they have an ice skating rink and in the summer they host lots of free activities such as yoga and movies in the park! They just opened up a bistro on the premises (Park Tavern) with a patio so you can imbibe, dine, and get your vitamin D on all in one place.

    Dawn B.

    Love the new park in navy yard. It's 3 acres of treehugging fun! As an Ecofriendly park its geothermal design helps to heat its indoor cafe with valves under the ice rink. The park is fun for the whole family with an ice rink, small grounds to walk and a second level with a small event stage over looking the rest of the park. You can ice skate at this park for only $8.00 and rent ice hockey or figure skate for $3.00 a pop. Great for dates or a fun night with the kids. The park transforms from day to night with beautiful lighting effects that draw on its unique architectural design. It's a beautiful example of modern architecture. Nice job dc and canal park project office!

    George Clinton & Parliament
    Nikki B.

    Small concrete jungle park across from the Dept of Transportation and Navy Yard. I attended the 202 Music and Arts Festival to see George Clinton and Parliament. The park was packed with fans grooving to that old school funk. Definitely enough space for everyone. Dancing, singing, drinking (non-alcoholic drinks, of course ). I only wish they played for longer than an hour and fifteen minutes. Anyway, decent park to sit and have lunch if you work nearby. Five Guys and Subway next door and a few more places to eat across the street. Or, bring your own food and drink and enjoy your on a nice cool day.

    Wednesday morning music
    Laura W.

    While this is a small park next to Navy Yard metro, you should still check it out. They have lots of programming here with Capitol Riverfront BID, including concerts, kids programs, etc. I took my son to a morning singalong (Tuesday 10:30-11:30) and had a fun time. Lots of daycare groups and nannies here. I was probably among less than a handful of people here with their own child but I also am school- based so I have off until late July. That being said, I didn't like how I had to park my stroller but multiple random children were crawling all over it. The straps became very twisted and were a pain to unravel. Daycare centers control your kiddos! Honestly my son was more interested in sticking his toys in his mouth than the music but toddlers seemed to dig it. The spray park was intimidating. Way, way too many wild kids and since my son is only sitting not mobile I didn't think it'd be a good idea to subject him to all that. Luckily he fell asleep anyways. While he slept I ordered a couple slices at Wiseguys and really enjoyed them (separate review). They do have public restrooms but there will definitely be a wait if you Visit during child programming. Given metro proximity, I will check the schedule and return for kid-friendly events as I am able!

    Pam Z.

    Canal Park just opened up their ice rink a couple weeks ago, and as I am a sucker for green gentrification initiatives, I had to stop by. (Sustainability info here: http://canalparkdc.org/about/sustainability) Admission is $8, plus $3 for skate rental. Location is right next to the Navy Yard metro. There are multiple bikeshare stations nearby, plenty of bike parking, and a decent amount of street parking. They don't have lockers that lock, so bring a cross body bag, a wallet, or risk your stuff in the communal lockers and cubbies. Since I haven't ice skated in five years, and I have been training to roller skate for derby, I thought I'd have a decent shot of not making a fool of myself. Wrong! Apparently quad skating does not translate well to ice skating. However, I had a blast despite klutzing out a few times. I went on a Thursday night at 6pm, and it was pretty quiet until 7pm when all of the hipsters and couples came out of the woodwork. There is plenty of lighting at night, and I could see this being a really fun date place or night out with friends. We opted out of the Icercise class that was going on, and I found out that they offer ice skating lesson packages to all levels. However, not sure how this would get done since the rink is setup as a figure 8, with not that much clear space in the middle. Also, I was a bit bummed that the cafe wasn't open, as some hot chocolate or a bite to eat down in slowly gentrifying SW would have been nice. And I totally wanted to see the observation deck! I can attest that the bathrooms are pretty nice at this point since they just opened. Overall, had a fun time at Canal Park!

    Damon B.

    Canal Park is a new, modern park for DC that is located near the Navy Yard metro stop. There is street parking around the park. The main attracttion of the park is currently the iceskating rink that is setup. The rink is outdoors and flows through the park, has music, and is set aside a bar and observation deck that also broadcasts video of skaters on a large white box. It's difficult to describe so check out the photos. The bar is currently not yet open. The rest of the park is divided in two. There are several green areas for kids to play. These areas are small and are surrounded by benches. There is a third area nearest the DC government building. This third area is basically a green field for dogs. It also has a lighted box that looks pretty cool at night. The park is basically open at sun-up and closes at 10pm. One of the special things about the park is that it has some neat food options nearby. There is a FiveGuys and a Subway. But the coolest is the Lot38 coffeeshop. This shop has limited hours, but it serves great Illy coffee and if you sit upstairs you have a beautiful view of the park. Altogether, this is a very relaxing scene and is great for the whole family. For instance, it would be fun to get five guys and then go sit outside in the park to eat. Or, it would be nice to grab a coffee and sit in the park. Usually the park is quiet, even with the iceskating. However, sometimes music is played. I have to be honest, the music is almost always terrible. But it's not enough to scare me off! I think this modern park is a hidden gem in DC. It doesn't have many water features like some of the other parks, but it's a great little place to hang out and it's ultra modern lights and layout make it a very interesting place to visit, particularly if you take advantage of the food options nearby.

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    Review Highlights - Canal Park DC

    Unlike some of the other ice rink locations, parking here is very easy (also very close to Navy Yard metro).

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

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    Garfield Park

    Garfield Park

    4.2(19 reviews)
    0.4 miCapitol Hill

    Garfield Park is dilapidated and ruinous. Most playground equipment is broken or damaged, and it is…read moreoverdue for an overhaul. Kids may still have fun, but this is a subpar destination due to its lack of maintenance and all the noise from the expressway looming over it and directly adjacent. The adaptive swing has cracked plastic and doesn't lock, a merry-go-round thing barely moves, the slides are incredibly slow, etc. Tip: Eastern Market Metro Park near 8th and Penn SE is a better bet if you care about playgrounds. This place is OK for a picnic under the mature trees, if you don't mind the din of highway traffic. It also has an embankment on the western edge that is suitable for wintertime sledding. On the plus side, when my four-year-old and I were there this month, she spotted a rat trapped in the bottom of the metal trash can by the playground. So, although we would never feed pests, we showed mercy on the distressed beast. We got a good amount of memorable and free enjoyment by rescuing it from dehydration and heat exhaustion using an empty chip bag to lift it to freedom, then watching it scurry into concrete blocks under the highway. Ah, the simple joys, haha

    Cool park and place to have fun. Garfield Park is located pretty close to Capitol Hill. It has some…read moreinteresting things different from many other parks. Be sure to check out the playgrounds even if you don't have any kids. They have one for adults too. Getting here from Capitol Hill doesn't take long. It still seems like it's quite a ways away though. This also is close to the Navy Yard. One bad thing is that it can be noisy because of the traffic on the freeway. There's a concrete wall separating the park from Interstate 395, which is where the noise comes from especially when it's rush hour, so if you want a quiet and relaxing visit avoid coming here at those times. Other than that it's one of the best parks around. The playground is cool for kids. If you're an adult you also have your own place to play next to it. They have adult sized playground equipment so you don't have to worry about being too heavy to play on these. It overall is one of the best parks in DC. Other than the freeway noise there's a lot of other things to like about it. This is a nice way of getting from Capitol Hill to the Navy Yard.

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    Garfield Park
    Garfield Park - Skating park.

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    Garfield Park

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    Canal Park DC - parks - Updated May 2026

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